I'll bet you did not have the ECO button pressed. If ECO is not pressed (the letters ECO show up between the driver and passenger temperatures) the TCH will run the ICE to provide optimum cabin heating, and can prevent the ICE from shutting off)

If ECO is on, the TCH will shut off the ICE when possible for best FE, even if the cabin air temp drops some.

ECO on also disables the electric heating element in the cabin air ducts; and if you are using the A/C, limits the A/C power usage.

Note: using the defroster disables ECO

 

With ECO "on," I find the following using my ScanGaugeII. The ICE will run until its water temperature reaches 57 degrees C (135 degrees F), and it will then shut off. The water temperature will then gradually fall, at a rate dependent upon the requested cabin temperature (I usually set mine at 21 degrees C = 70 degrees F) and the outside air temperature, until it reaches 53 degrees C (127 degrees F). At this point the ICE will start up again to heat the engine back up to 57 degrees C, and the cycle repeats. The ICE is thus running in order to provide cabin heat. By the way, the bottom of the blue area of the temperature gauge is 35 degrees C (95 degrees F), and the top of the blue area is 45 degrees C (113 degrees F). In Auto, the heater only comes on when the water temperature reaches 47 degrees C (117 degrees F). The needle of the temperature gauge reaches its normal operating-temperature position (namely, 1 division below the middle) when the engine has warmed up to 60 degrees C (140 degrees F), and it then stays there until the ICE temperature rises to some number well over 90 degrees C (194 degrees F). [I don't know what it is since this hasn't happened to me yet!]

Stan

PS1: So, the warming-up procedure from cold goes as follows. The temperature gauge reaches the bottom of the blue area at 35 degrees C (all temperatures here will be in degrees C only, for brevity). At 45 degrees C it reaches the top of the blue area. At 47 degrees C the heater starts operating. At 57 degrees C and above the ICE will shut off when not needed. At 60 degrees C and above the gauge reads 1 division below the middle (unless the ICE overheats, when it will rise higher). If the ICE is "off," and the temperature drops below 53 degrees C, the ICE will start up and run until the temperature reaches 57 degrees C.

PS2: My observations show that the calibration of the temperature gauge is as follows. Each (major) tick mark represents 5 degrees C (9 degrees F) up until 1 tick mark below the middle. Above this I don't know, as my gauge has never been into this area yet! So (in degrees C, with degrees F in parentheses), the bottom of the blue area is 35 (95); the tick mark in the middle of the blue area is 40 (104); the top of the blue area is 45 (113); and the next three tick marks are 50 (122), 55 (131), and 60 (140). The 60 (140) degree tick mark is the normal pointer position when the ICE is fully warmed up, and it stays there until at least 90 (194).

 

My ECO is always on, and I have this behavior too. I do this all the time...turn my engine off via the climate control button.

 

Yup. If its cold enough out there, the engine will stay on to provide cabin heat even with the ECO button on.

 

ECO does not affect a) above. If the weather is cold enough, the cabin heat is like the points in 'Who's Line is It, Anyway?", it just doesn't matter.

 

Like the others here, I always have the ECO button pressed.

 

I have added further information, and two PSs, to my post #12.

Stan